UA’s bike valet free for 3 weeks starting Tuesday

Posted on September 6th, 2010 by Michael McKisson (Publisher/Editor)

Editor’s note: I’ve had a few little updates that weren’t worthy of their own post and I’ve collected them in this notebook.

The University of Arizona’s bike valet is scheduled to open on Tuesday and will be free for students and faculty to use until Sept. 24. According to an email from Charles Franz, the alternative transportation program coordinator for the Parking and Transportation department, the bicycle must be registered to be parked in the valet area.

Other interesting details from the document outlining the program:

• Tipping the valet attendant is not permitted.

• The Parking and Transportation Department will not be responsible for damaged or stolen bikes.

• Bikes must be picked up by 5:45 p.m. and will be locked to the rack if they aren’t picked up.

Check out the document for the rest of the details.

UA underpass repainting

Last week, the Olive Street underpass on the UA campus was closed to bikes because the pedestrian crossing zones were being repainted. This came just days after a collision between a pedestrian and cyclist.

Here is a photo of the repainted area:

Reader photo of law-breaking motorist

Tucson Velo reader Edward sent in photos in reference to the opinion piece in the Tucson Weekly about TPD’s enforcement. The author mentions Mountain and Grant being a particularly bad intersection for motorists violating the law.

Here is one of the photos Edward sent in:

Related posts:

Post a comment below or discuss in the Tucson Velo forums

Posted on September 6th, 2010 by Michael McKisson (Publisher/Editor)

http://twitter.com/daaxix Israel Vaughn

The still photo doesn’t show what the motorist is doing. What happened?
Frank

Israel, if I’m looking at the intersection properly, that vehicle is in the bike lane on Mountain, not in a motorized vehicle traffic lane.
Anonymous

That’s right…
Anonymous

This motorist was third motorist in the line at left and decided to go in the bike lane to turn right.
http://twitter.com/AzZenCyclist Tabot Tietjen

75% of the time that I ride south on Mountain past Grant I see cars in the bike lane, even though there is a posted sign that says, “No motorized vehicles in the bike lane”! I have seen several police cars ignore violators also. Riding north, I have not seen any cars in the bike lane since they installed the special treatment a year ago or so.
miguel

i will often knock on peoples windows and inform them that they are driving in the bike. All haven been apologetic.
Anonymous

You see a lot of service people parking in the bike lane. The worst section is between Glenn and Ft. Lowell where the houses are facing the street.
Colnagonut

I think the city promised many years back that adjacent homeowners and their guests could park in some sections of the shoulder bike route, such as on parts of Glenn, Dodge north of Glenn, and Rosemont between Speedway and Pima.

As to drivers using the bike lane to make right turns instead of from the travel lane (there is no motor vehicle lane–only travel lanes), under existing state statute they are permitted and in fact compelled to turn as near to the right edge of the roadway or curb as practicable. TPD has indicated that they can’t drive a block in the bike lane; they really need to merge to the right in the area that usually has a dashed white line starting about 60 feet before the intersection.

Over the years, due to the excessive width of the Mountain bike lane at the intersections (because of the buffer space), we worked with the city to erect the No Motor Vehicles signs and other treatments. Since installation of the green bike lane at the approach and addition of the other special sign requiring right turning drivers to yield, we haven’t heard of many issues in the northbound direction. I’m sure there is some noncompliance though.

In the design of the bike lane approaching Ft. Lowell, you’ll notice that because of the problems at Grant we advised the city to actually reduce the bike lane width so that a driver can’t easily travel in it to make a right turn.

If the school bus driver who was making the right turn at Ft. Lowell had followed state statute to turn as near to the right as practicable, the 14-year old boy would not likely have been killed there a few years ago. The southbound driver could have been within 2 feet of the curb and made the right turn onto 5-lane Ft. Lowell without encroaching into the eastbound center left turn lane. Being close to the curb would likely have prevented the boy from trying to pass on the right just as the driver started his right turn.

Addition of more green bike lanes/bike boxes at key locations in the region will likely be necessary. What’s difficult (besides finding the funding for installation and especially for maintenance) is dealing with the conflict of the state statute mentioned above with the meaning of the green bike box–the statute requires drivers be to the right; the bike box prohibits them from doing so. Perhaps though, even with this contradiction, drivers and cyclists will become more aware of the dangers at intersections and right hooks may be reduced–especially with more education and enforcement over time.
Ellen F

I see cars in the bike lane at that point on Mountain all the time, but ever since they repaved the stretch of Mountain between Fort Lowell and Roger, I’ve seen a lot more cars just flat out driving in the bike lane. Either they’re too lazy to follow the many curves in the road, or they’re too afraid to get close to the median, but I follow behind cars that will drive the whole way half in the bike lane.
LandonQ

i’d be very curious to try out the bike valet, but the added detail that the university will hold no responsibility for lost or stolen bikes checked into the program sketches me out a bit. it’s one thing if i lock up my bike improperly myself and it gets yanked, but handing it off to someone else who bears in turn no responsibility tempers my eagerness to use the system.